Hot Water, Higher Ground

When life turns up the heat, what’s in you rises to the surface. Kicking off the Shift series, we unpack tea-bag wisdom and reframe storms as classrooms, and invitations to realign with God in real time. With a warm, straight-talk vibe, we explore why we’re not meant to stay the same version of ourselves we were five years ago, and how restlessness can be a divine signal toward evolution, transformation, and expansion.

I also share a personal update from my own current shift, reminding us that faith isn’t about a storm-free life, it’s about walking with God through it.

Transcript

Thanks for listening to SHIFT.

Remember,

Every change is a chance to grow.

Stay ready,

SHIFT Higher.

Good morning y'all and welcome to SHIFT.

Hopefully you caught the intro because now it's time to lay the foundation.

SHIFT isn't just about change,

It's about transformation.

Y'all,

The reality is life will always hand us moments that push us,

Stretch us,

And sometimes even break us.

But here's the truth,

Every shift is an invitation.

An invitation to rise,

To grow,

To step into something greater than you've known before.

This podcast is about helping you recognize those moments,

Embrace them,

And embrace the leader within you.

Because whether you realize it or not,

There's a leader inside of you waiting,

Waiting to be awakened,

To be positioned,

And to be released.

So today,

Let's dig deep.

Let's uncover what it really means to shift,

Not just in your circumstances,

But in your mindset,

Your faith,

And your purpose.

If you've been waiting for a sign,

Sis,

This is it.

It's your time.

Stay with me,

Because what we build today will carry you through every episode that follows.

One of my favorite quotes is,

A woman is like a teabag.

You can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

And I truly believe that only someone who has endured and learned from discomfort,

And sometimes the pain of hot water,

Could write those words.

And in this case,

It was Eleanor Roosevelt.

And like many of you,

I too have experienced the discomfort and sometimes the pain of life's hot water.

Sometimes it came from my wrong choices,

And other times it came at the hand of others and their choices,

And the impact that those choices had on me.

And I've spent a lot of time,

Unfortunately,

Beating myself up over past failures until I realized how golden failure really is.

But also along the way,

I learned one of the most valuable lessons,

That as a child of God,

Every single storm has a purpose.

And no mistake I've ever made,

And nothing that's been done to me,

No experience,

Will ever be wasted.

At one point in my life,

I had the misguided perception that if I did everything I was supposed to,

I would live in a storm-free zone.

Have you ever had that feeling?

Have you ever had that thought?

But that's not how life works,

And it's not how faith works.

It's about learning to adjust,

To reposition,

To realign yourself with God in the middle of the storm.

Shifting is uncomfortable because it stretches us beyond what we thought we could handle.

Life has a way of reminding us that we're not statues.

We're not fixed in one version of ourselves forever.

We're human beings that live in motion and cycles of transformation.

Sometimes those shifts show up subtle,

Like a quiet nudge.

But other times,

If you know like I do,

They kick the door down,

And they rearrange everything you thought was stable.

One of the triggers is losing spiritual alignment.

When you drift from center,

It shows up in emptiness,

Crisis,

Or just feeling like nothing's hitting right.

That's one of the reasons,

And that's not the only reason that life shifts.

It's so much bigger than that.

There are layers woven together like a tapestry God himself is still weaving,

And we'll talk about what some of those others are,

Those other reasons for a shift.

It's not just about change.

It's about transformation.

Shifting requires trust.

Trust that God knows when it's time for you to move.

Trust that the sound you're hearing,

The feeling you're feeling,

The restlessness,

The dissatisfaction,

The divine nudge,

Isn't random.

It's his signal that it's time to grow.

Picture this with me,

A teabag in hot water,

Steeping.

The heat doesn't destroy what's inside,

It draws it out.

That's what adversity does to us as believers.

What's inside the teabag influences the water around it,

Just like what's inside of us influences everything around each one of us.

And consider a compass.

You have it in your hand,

And you're walking,

Intending to go north,

But somewhere along the way you've gotten off by a few degrees,

And before you know it you're away from where you desire to end up,

And you panic.

Since that panic is unnecessary,

Realignment doesn't require it.

All it requires is a pause,

A breath,

And a turn towards north.

So let's talk about what some of these shifts could look like in your life.

In the workplace,

That role that once fit,

It now feels tight.

Your shift may be new skills,

Or a courageous conversation,

Or even a different seat,

And possibly a brand new assignment.

Within your family,

You love hard,

You love with passion,

And you're a fixer.

You're trying to fix everything for everybody,

But God's asking you to leave room.

Leave room for them to learn,

To rely on him.

He's asking you to teach,

Not rescue,

So that their faith muscles can grow.

In your faith,

Your calendar is so packed that your soul feels thin from all of the assignments.

Your shift could be a daily appointment with God that doesn't get bumped off the calendar.

In your health,

Your body is talking,

Your energy is low,

Sleep is off,

Stress is high.

Your shift could be as simple as rhythms done in a steady,

Consistent manner,

Like water to hydrate your body.

Movement,

Like taking a break and taking a walk.

Rest and real food instead of fast food.

In your friendships,

Your shift could be yesterday's circle that doesn't match today's calling.

Your shift could be blessing the past and setting boundaries,

New boundaries,

And leaning in to new relationships that pull the purpose out of you.

Does any of this sound familiar?

We are not meant to be the same version of ourselves,

The same version that we were five years ago.

Growth pulls on you.

It stretches you into new spaces,

New relationships,

New expressions of who you are.

It calls you to let go of the past,

Let go of the pain,

Let go of the hurt.

If you're restless,

If you're hungry to learn,

Or if you feel like you've outgrown an old role or an old version of yourself,

That's the shift calling your name.

Before we move into scripture,

Let me set the table for our journey together.

Throughout this season,

We'll talk about different reasons for a shift.

Things like growth and evolution,

Loss of spiritual alignment,

Completion of a cycle or a season in your life,

Unresolved wounds,

Changes in relationship,

And so much more.

I'll share my experiences.

I'm in a shift right now,

Recovering from my third surgery at cancer diagnosis in February of 2025.

This is just one of my many shifts,

And through them,

I've learned that we get to choose a few things.

We get to choose whether our shifts bury us or expand our capacity.

None of us get to choose when we enter this earth.

None of us get to choose when we leave,

But we get to choose how we live this life.

If we choose to put God first and love our neighbor as we love ourselves,

If we choose to live life to the fullest,

Do we get back up when life knocks the wind out of us?

I choose and desire to love the Lord with all my heart,

My soul,

My mind,

And my strength,

And to love my neighbor and share his light with them in a way that gives him glory and leads them to him.

And I choose to leave this earth empty,

With not one book left to write,

Not one song left to sing,

Not one recipe left to try,

Not one place left on my bucket list to travel to.

I choose to leave empty,

To share the thimble full of knowledge that he's blessed me with over the years.

My podcast will not be long.

In this world,

We are filled with information obesity.

Noise is coming from everywhere.

I want to leave room.

I want to leave room for each of you to pause.

I want to leave you with a question to reflect on and a scripture for you to soak in,

So that you can truly and intentionally shift.

I will share a podcast each week so that you have the space and the time for an empowering pause with God.

Our scripture for this week comes from Isaiah 43,

19.

It's a familiar passage,

But I want you to soak in it so God can speak to you personally.

Behold,

I am doing a new thing.

Now it springs forth.

Do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

During this week,

Take time to reflect on that scripture over and over again.

One practical step that will help you this week is to put on your calendar 10 minutes,

10 unrushed minutes to just sit with God,

Read this scripture out loud,

And sit and listen for what God has to say to you about it.

Your reflection question for this week is,

Where do you feel the heat,

The stretch,

The quiet nudge,

And what single concrete step will you take this week to respond?

Don't fear the hot water.

It's drawing out what God already placed inside of you.

Don't settle for standing still when the spirit is inviting you to move.

Hear the signal,

Recognize it,

Trust the one who sends it,

And step forward.

Each week,

I'll share our mantra,

Stay ready,

Shift higher.

It's your reminder to keep learning,

Keep listening for the signs and signals of the shift,

And keep moving towards evolution,

Transformation,

And expansion instead of getting stuck in dark places,

Instead of being stagnant.

If this blessed you,

Share it with someone.

Share it with someone who needs encouragement.

Share it with someone who doesn't understand what's happening,

Why all of these circumstances are taking place in their life,

And they need to look at them through spiritual lenses.

Until next time,

Stay ready,

Shift higher.

Thanks for listening to Shift.

Remember,

Every change is a chance to grow.

Stay ready,

Shift higher.